Devara‘s
self-appointed
guardian
of
the
sea
unleashing
violence
as
a
means
to
end
violence
is
purely
Junior
NTR
fan-tasy,
observes
Sukanya
Verma.
Any
major
movie
that
has
Devara
Part
1
in
its
title
will
translate
to
unfinished
business.
Only
it’s
not
the
cliffhanger
moment
that
Devara:
Part
1
arrives
at
after
three
hours
of
slow-motion
savagery
and
bombastic
heroics
but
a
glaring
lack
of
end
goal
in
Koratala
Siva’s
generic
spectacle.
Unable
to
fully
lure
us
into
its
furore
or
make
sense
of
its
ambiguity,
the
curse
of
the
sequel
relying
on
the
first
one
to
splendidly
succeed
is
setting
a
precedent
of
fragmented
filmmaking.
World
building
is
of
little
consequence
if
the
larger
objectives
remain
shrouded
in
secrecy
and
Devara‘s
unconfident
approach
tells
it
doesn’t
wish
to
count
its
chickens
before
they
hatch.
Which
is
why
you’ll
never
understand
why
India
hosting
the
cricket
World
Cup
has
anything
to
do
with
a
cop’s
pursuit
of
a
fabled
seaside
superhero
on
a
remote
island
far,
far
away
from
the
mainland.
Told
in
flashback
by
a
sagely
Prakash
Raj
embodying
the
stereotypical
old
chap
who’s
lived
long
and
seen
enough
to
recount
the
grit
and
glory
of
the
titular
daredevil,
Devara:
Part
1
is
yet
another
showcase
for
N
T
Rama
Rao
Junior’s
stardom
and
charisma.
Introduced
on
screen
as
the
man
of
the
masses,
it’s
his
series
of
wolf-whistle
entries,
showboating
swagger
and
stunning
bombshells
that
provide
Koratala
Siva’s
grim-toned
yet
pompous
extravaganza
its
vitality.
Beware
though,
there’s
little
else
to
the
one-man
Taarak
show
in
a
double
role
bolstered
by
Composer
Anirudh’s
thumping
All
Hail
banger
where
Saif
Ali
Khan’s
brooding
antagonist
spends
most
of
his
time
glowering
at
the
hate
army
he’s
building
to
beat
him
while
Janhvi
Kapoor
shows
up
post
interval
to
fantasise
about
his
machismo.
Recycling
the
age-old
story
of
bitter
rivalry
between
righteous
rage
and
misguided
violence,
Devara‘s
self-appointed
guardian
of
the
sea
unleashing
violence
as
a
means
to
end
violence
is
purely
Junior
NTR
fan-tasy.
Watch
out
for
the
full
review
in
just
a
few
minutes.
Devara:
Part
1
Review
Rediff
Rating:
